I was all of 15 when my buddy’s dad drove us up to The City for what turned out to be Jimi Hendrix’s last show at the Winterland to find out that it was sold-out…Without missing a beat, Brian directed us to Chet Helm’s Avalon Ballroom to see a local band, the Grateful Dead or something odd like that… I was clueless until somewhere in the middle of the first set of what became the seminal Live Dead double album… I have never been the same since that evening almost 55 years later! FAR OUT!!! 🤪

Great gig every time they play This place they were rushed off stage right at the end if you didn’t notice

I wholeheartedly agree with the reviews here (and on other pages for the same show), that this Other One and The Eleven are mind-boggling, off-the-charts incredible. Those of you who are open to suggestions, I've saved links for a couple other versions which, though not having the amazing sound quality of this show, will still blow you away. These are personal favorites of mine, guaranteed to get all of your psychedelic juices flowing!
https://archive.org/details/gd68-11-01.sbd.cotsman.18100.sbeok.shnf/gd68-11-01d1t01.shn for the Other One
https://archive.org/details/gd1969-02-21.sbd.miller.111780.flac16/gd69-02-21d1t05.flac for The Eleven
With both of these, you need to crank up the volume to get all the sonic details.

That jam after potato is killer and the transition to mercy smooth as butter

Wow, This is my 2nd listen to this and I just love it. The Alligator sets the tone for what is just a great and seriously extended set one. 8 ball pool online
I am actually listening to the Miller soundboard so not commenting on the sound for this recording.
I do like the Spanish Jam it is the lead-up to all those cowboy tunes that they would eventually cover.
Love the way they roll into the Dark Star!

The lads are on top once again. Pig must not been able to get the organ on stage. Bummer. The scratchin' on Dark Star is so trippy. Pig didn't need no cid to trip!

insanely psychedelic show. however ive always wondered what the instruments called that makes that shaker like sound all throughout most of the Dark Stars I hear and you can hear it get predominately louder at around 7:13 in this version of Dark Star

the height of their psychedelic era.
vocals and harmonies are almost on, sounds good though.
great playing and the absent Pigpen makes it even better.

Nuf said. Def a top 20 show, IMHO. Great sound quality for '68! I always opt for Pig, but he would have slowed down this smokin' set!

all over looking for Eleven versions post Dead&Co summer 2018 tour. they brought it back with a beautiful vengeance, thank you.

I wish I'd been less liberal with 5-star ratings, because this one REALLY deserves it. Fiery.

Please let go of your body is everybody! (chuckles), Everybody relax for Christ's sakes everybody just cool it we're going to play here until ah... until, until.... until we drop.
--- J Garcia 10-12-68

This one is SOOOOOO good. One of a handful of tapes that i heard early**, and helped me come to know how astonishingly good the Dead are when they are at their finest- soul tremblingly beautiful.
** ( Munich 1972 SOTOTW, Darkstar to Dew; SF Orpheum 7/18/76, Red Rocks 1882 run, especially the 2nd night)

Recently my computer was hacked into and I lost my entire music library and this is something I would love to get back. If anyone is willing to make a trade, email me. will.ruddock@gmail.com.

Dark Star drifting through the ballroom and the everyone has a role in the trance. Meant to be heard but you can almost see the transitive nightfall of diamonds...
I was five months old but I swear I remember being at this show.
Stay genuine and kind
The music never stops

The Dark Star, the Eleven outro, the Cryptical reprise ... this is the some of the sxckest shit the Dead every played and it could never have been conceived without drugs. Bless these people.

dark star first song first set.i defy anyone to deny that 68-69 were this bands most fiery years,magic out of thin air 80%of the time. set 2 the other one on fire. enjoy and listen to more shows from 68-69.

Jerry just rips it. He sings "dark star" through his guitar. its just so beautiful, please do yourself a favor. listen to it. please.
-trips

i was born 2yrs before 2 the day love this tape 1 of my original 10 tapes great 2 listen 2 again

Been looking for this show for a long time. This was one of my first tapes, though it is labeled Avalon Ballroom 1-27-1967 - Bobby's elementary dance number banter was a dead giveaway. My absolute favorite Dark Star and all around smokin' show.

Would GDAVALON68 please report to the Forum? (It is down at the bottom of the home page.)
If you do not see the specific thread that would be appropos to you, please start one to let us know you are there.
Thanks,
TOOTMO

really great stuff start to finish

I
Reviewer: TOOTMO - - May 24, 2011
Subject: Attention GDAVALON68
Would GDAVALON68 please report to the Forum? (It is down at the bottom of the home page.)
If you do not see the specific thread that would be appropos to you, please start one to let us know you are there.
Thanks,
TOOTMO
I'm back-I swear that was half a show. Even on acid at 16 y.o.

I'll never be the same after listening to this one...whatever moorings to the physical world were left have been shattered...last minute or so of The Eleven...I'm going to sit in a room for some years and listen again, and then again, and some more...

According to deadlists "This show has circulated for years mislabeled "10/13/68", but it's really 10/12/68." Apparently the partial tape up thru New Potato was broadcast on KSAN mislabeled 10/13/68 and ended up circulating that way, until Latvala uncovered rest of set 2 from the vaults.
Hope that maybe answers your question...
And I agree this is an absolutely fantastic show, from DS thru to the crazy Jam after New Potato. The Eleven is an all time classic version, a Top Five in my book.

This show straight JAMS!

Pigpen seems to be absent – we don’t hear organ anywhere. Still a good show, though. Audio quality is excellent.
The first set is better than the second. This is a classic Dark Star from the classic Dark Star period. The jam is interesting and Jerry delivers great vocals. St. Stephan is the same arrangement as on Aoxomoxoa, with the bells and the wobbly guitar. (They were recording Aoxomoxoa at this time). It, as well as The Eleven, are tight and energetic, with great jamming. The set ends with Death Don’t Have No Mercy, with Jerry at his finest on vocal, with nice guitar work as well. on Death Don’t.
The Second set starts out well with a good Cryptical>Other One. There’s a somewhat rough transition into New Potato, where absence of any keyboard is noticeable. Nice vocal by Bob.
There a somewhat weak Drums followed by an Alligator-ish jam. This is pretty good stuff, but there are better Anthem sets in 1968, with better transitions, particularly February-March and August.
First set 5, second set 4. Lack of Pigpen rounds it down to 4.

I had an idea to take New Potato and the jams following it and rename them with jazzy titles. And then I burned it onto a disk, so it's just one album focusing on New Potato Caboose.
1. Description: this is the lyric section with Bob singing.
2. Cumulonimbus: this is...you guessed it- Phil's solo. His bass playing always makes me think of dark thunderclouds.
3. Hail / Sudden Shouts / The End Is Near: New Potato has always made me think of the end of the world and track 3 is the drum solo. I like to think of as hail or maybe rocks from space landing on the earth and the cheers from the audience are the people on earth screaming.
4. Impact: this is the end of the world. The first part, with Jerry playing a Caution like solo, is the spreading of the fire, the fire making it's way to a bigger climax. All of a sudden, the jam is more like Going Down The Road and I like to imagine aliens in their spaceships watching the earth explode in a fiery cataclysm.
5. Aftermath: this is the feedback section. Just listen to it and imagine the remains of earth floating through cold dark space.
At only 22 minutes, it's the shortest "album" I've ever created but I'm satisfied. Dark Star is also beautiful. The 1st Cryptical is not the best to my ears just because of the first several seconds missing. The Other One is probably the 3rd best, the 1st being the one from Harpur College and the second being the one from So Many Roads. The Cryptical Reprise here is the best I have heard along with Two From The Vault. The drum solo is the weakest song here as there is much hesitation on Mickey's part.

Been searching for one like this for awhile. Lack of Pigpen aside, this is one of the cleanest early era recordings I have heard. Right from the get-go the band winds into some mind-bending melodic patterns Jerry's playing and singing are beautiful. This show is fantastic, very glad to have stumbled upon it.

There is a version avaliable, retouched by one "Charlie Miller," as I understand it, with much fuller sound. This will be my prefered version.
http://www.archive.org/details/gd1968-10-12.sbd.miller.86759.sbeok.flac16 />Consider comparing and posting a review over there to get some attention to that one; I just happened upon this show sorting by number of ratings. Is a very good show.

I've been a huge fan for (only) 20 years, yet I have never heard anything this rippin in some time, if ever, particularly the St. Steven. I just stumbled upon this show, and I'm only on the second song, yet I felt compelled to write my first post ever! There's loads of great shows from this "era" (my fav); all must agree that its phenomenal to have the archive to hear the subtle transformations over time. Eleven going on right now, building nicely, super tight, might just be up there with the best of them. Cheers!

I'm a big Pigpen fan, yet despite his absence I think this is one of the best shows on the archive. Every song is played with soul and a fire the Dead rarely matched or surpassed and the jamming is extraterrestrial. The show starts with Darkstar which isn't as explorative as it would later become but it has a marvelous wistful soulfullness that makes for a trancendent listening experience. Follow that with my favorite version of The Eleven. I mean it's the best I've heard. The interplay between Bill K., Phil and Mickey is amazing but it's Jerry's guitar playing that makes this just so goddamn good. This is an Eleven for the ages. Death Don't is wonderful. The following Cryptical, Other One, New Potato Caboose, jam, drums, Feedback is a stunning seamless flow. The emphasis in this show is not the songs but the jamming and transitions. If that's your cup of tea (it's mine) you will love this show. The vocals are a little weak in places, but the instrumental interplay is outstanding. The icing on the cake, and what a cake, is the sound quality: crystal clear and despite some variations in volume and mix it's really really good. As another reviewer pointed out it sounds as though Warner Brothers taped this show for a potential live album? In any case as one audience member yells out during a lull between songs "Thankyou Mr. Garcia!" I have this show on old crusty cassette and Jerry says before Darkstar "It's time to leave your bodies everyone!" or something to that effect. That's missing from this show, maybe my cassette was labeled wrong? Oh well, thanks Archive.

IF I COULD ONLY GET THIS ON DISC, MAN THAT SUCKS, IF ANYONE CAN FIND THIS ON DISC I WILL APPRECIATE IT MUCH, THANKS, bsimmons93@gmail.com

Great!!! but I think the part of Dead dont have no mercy is dropped out at beginning.
Some one can explain whay?
thanks
vit

If you listen to this show and do not enjoy it, then you are probably deaf. Or you listen to entirely too much Kelly Clarkson. Because this show is HOT!
I usually put a list of highlights, but that is impossible for this show. EVERY song is a highlight!!!
top 10 for 68, top 20 ALL TIME for me (if not top 10)!

Dark Star is absolutely mindblowing.

Somebody certainly was eating their Wheaties. What planet was this recorded on? Thank you Mr. Garcia, indeed.

First show I ever heard - not live but on tape. It totally hooked me. I'd never heard he like. One of Jerry's best Dark Star solos in my opinion. But, hey, where's Jerry saying," What do you want me to do, say everybody has to dance or else? I can't do that."?

This set is full of vim & vigor.
They must have been having a good day.
You can practically see them dancing in the smoke.
The Other One is radically definitive.
The Avalon seems like a proper venue at this apex of a show for the age.
What a great fucking show that's all I have to say.

title

i searched for all the fillmore shows from the 60's and this is hte oldest soundboard i could find, and i listened to it because it happens to be my birthday (but 17 years earlier)....,my unbiased opinion, is dark star was sensational as were all the jams and feedback to end it all. definitely worth a listen.
five stars nto because the sound quality is goood for a sixties show and no matter what i think the dead as a band sounded awesome. yay!

I first saw the Dead at the Fillmore East in 1969 and even then I couldn't run a computer . Now I can and Im seeing shows all around when I grew up in NY. Death dont have no Mercy DONT get no better .I think pp really meant it . how do I copy this one and so many more . I FEEL REJUVINATED ROYTHOMPSON@ADELPHIA.NET

amazing, simply amazing. does anyone have this show for trade? andrewbruss@gmail.com THANKS GUYS

When I was in high school (mid eighties) this was the tape that me and my friends put in the boom box, and walked the streets of Boston (at 3:00 am)and let the music take control. There is no finer Darkstar, period. This show was broadcast live via San Francisco radio, and in the version I had, the DJ opened with "hello San Francisco," I still get that undescribable feeling whenever I hear it.
Thanks Jerry

close your eyes and watch the eyelid movies to this one. irresistable.

I have loved this show for years. I used to have it on DAT. About 10 years ago, they lost my luggage on the way to Jamaica and my possesions consisted of just my carry-on's. This show was one of them. I listened for a week to these increadable licks. It changed me.

This was the first Dark Star I ever heard, even before Live Dead, so it's the reference I used when I first started trading tapes. Funny, I loved it when I was 14, but I took it for granted. Listening to it now, 20 years later, it's jaw-droppingly good. Download this. One of my personal top 20 shows for sure!

im a young dead listener but the only words i can use to describe the dead are consistent, evolution, and perfection. What a great early reach back to touch on some of the roots of this legendary American rock and roll band. One of the best dark stars these ears have heard but im up for suggestions. AMAZING ENERGY ON THIS SHOW. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE SEND ME THIS SHOW TO DOWNLOAD, EMAN039@YAHOO.COM. IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED BY A YOUNG MAN WITH AN OLD SOUL

Is this really 10-12-68, or 10-13? The only version of DeadBase I have is 5. In the introduction, the editors make a point of saying that many tapes labeled with various dates from 68-69 are actually 10-13-68. The music and talking identifies this show as the same one I have on an old, hissy tape (although I suspect the Caboose may be from a different show). Since 10-13-68 must have been a widely circulating tape, I suspected this show is 10-13. Can anyone answer this?
Having said that, this is an awesome recording of a mind-melding show. The Eleven is certainly one of the best, but check out the jam out of drums after Caboose. It rips with hints of TOO and a definite Caution riff from Phil before dissolving into crazy feedback (which by the way, has absolutely nothing to do with the later Phil and Ned noise. Feedback in 68-69 MOVED and dissolved brains.)
Edited 1/28/10: I now think that the Other One suite at this show is among the best -- especially the Cryptical reprise. Better even than Harpur's, if I dare say so.

This is one of those shows it can become easy to imagine why it was they toured well after their peak, which is this thru to 1971.
Fun!!
This has musical timing no other band was able to
approach. Cream had a different blues timing.
The energy they exherted; it's amazing they all didn't have heart attacks.

I am in search of the perfect Eleven and so far have not come across a better one than the 08-68 show on Two from the Vault...this one is pretty damn good but not as good as that one.
If you know the perfect Eleven email Old_Motherhubbard@hotmail.com
Other than that Dark Star is unreal (for the nth time), this is a great show.

great sound

hey David,
where is the "please let go of your bodies everybody" before Dark Star?

great show, great playing, great sound quality. along with 2/14/68, one of the best of this killer year. Definitely 5 stars

Whoever said the Grateful Dead were a mellow band certainly wasn't listening to this show! These guys are just on fire. "The Other One" is especially sizzling and ballsy. It doesn't get a whole lot better.
The only downside of this one is the shakers sound on Dark Star, which is mixed too loud for my taste, and which persists throughout the entire song in a way that becomes somewhat distracting.

This show is SMOKIN'!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From beginning to end, this show is HOT! The boys are on and the crowd is into it. Damn, I'm really deep into 1968 right now! This show sounds so f-ing amazing for 1968! Thank you archives.

this dark star is killer... NOT TO MENTION THE STEPHEN ELEVEN.. cmon, if you cant hear how killer this show is.. even though the keys are hard to hear... you need to turn off the television

This would be a definitive Dark Star for Garcia's work in the first five minutes alone. Beautifully uptempo, Jerry floats with dynamic mastery over some fine Weir rhythm guitar and a stellar Lesh foundation. Really good percussion here as well; the cool wish-wash effect was mentioned below, I believe. The absence of a keyboard presence gives Jerry a bit more space, in my opinion. It also gives keyboardists a chance to improvise over this tune, something I have taken the liberty to do a few times. While not as spacey or exploratory as later versions, people (particularly guitarists and other musicians, though it is not limited to them) will be attracted to Garcia's unique stream of musical thought, which really shines through on this particular show. The quick pace forces him to be more melodic, as he can no longer rely on a triplet run to serve as a buffer between ideas. Remarkable stuff.

Absolutely positively fricking stunning. If there was ever a justified five star review in the archive, this is it.
The Hendrix story someone mentioned in the earlier reviews is so awesome, any more on that story out there?? Wow. Thinking that this show is going on while Hendrix is waiting in the wings for a stage call that ain't coming.
Wow.
WOW!

I've had bits and pieces of this damn show for years, with no dates, and now finally have it all together. Never had the Drums > Jam > Feeback portion. Thanks. What's even more amazing than this show, is the fact that Weir and Pigpen were almost out of the band at this point. Hard to imagine. Nothing more I can add. Get this gem right away. Hail and farewell Mr. Helms!

darkstar need i say more...great recording for 68

Listen to the cymbals on Potato Cabby. They sound like they're in your living room with good speakers. Amazing. Thank you everying who contributes and maintains this site.

Had this tape for 20 years and counting. Even though it was much hissier and higher-gen than this source, I kept going back to it. If you like the energy and jamming of 68, then look no further.

Dark Star is really great. The Eleven is my highlight. Set Two is non-stop energy. Classic and Crisp!

This show is freakin amasing. The best of the best. It will have your mind and soul screamin down a rollercoaster from star to finish. Download it now. Dont be afraid to blow yer speakers with this one. God knows i did. WOW!

Primal dead, man! How can you go wrong with that? Dark Star is FANTASTIC! it wasn't yet as powerful as it would be in feb-march 69, but it was getting there. Jerry does some interesting vocal stuff during Death Don't. The Eleven and St. Stephen JUST SMOKE! Damn, man, they were on FIRE! A very nice Other One Suite. And a (actually) decent version of New potato caboose! Good job boys!
Great quality and great set. What are you waiting for? Download this monster!

My tape collection is a bit jumbled up and disorganized so I couldn't check the date, but the date sounded familiar so I started the stream. All I had to hear was Weir saying "this is a foxtrot" regarding Dark Star and I downloaded this beauty because I Knew it contained an incredible St. Stephen >Eleven and that Garcia tears up his vocal cords on one of my all time favorite Death Don't Have No Mercys with these incredibly haunting leads. This show has always been one of my favorites since I heard it 15 years ago, even if I have trouble remembering dates. I'd give it six stars if I could.

...umm im not even sure what track im on anymore.
this is very buttery
i suggest you download this now.
sound quality is superb!
this will ruin whatever conception of reality you may still have.
thanks uploaders
and thanks archive.org
good work!

Wow. I just happened upon this show yesterday and spent my entire evening replaying it over and over. It is the most solid dead show from start finish that i've yet downloaded. I think the sound quality is warm and beautifully fuzzy. The Dark Star is more than decent! It is a great Dark Star...and the earlier St. Stephen is especially tonic - just one clearly more beautiufl note after the other into the Eleven. One of my favorite Eleven's yet. Death Don't Have No Mercy makes it obvious that Jerry was no southern blues singer :) BUT beyond that his blues guitar is right on the money - like something you would hear out of Duane Allman. Great stuff and the rest of the cd is especially chill..just a great ending of the show that forces you to start it over again. But again i must say this Dark Star is exceptional. Listen to the guiros lol - and i hear a couple playin' in the band teases. Five star recording and show.

Fantastic Dark Star opens this recording, and it only gets better from there. I'm really enjoying exploring these earlier shows -- very different energy than the mid-late seventies.

great show, definitly one of my favorites!!!! St. stephen
-->the eleven is crazy!!! The guys are bringin the house down tonight baby. The Cryptical --> The Other One is exquisite. Couldn't ask for a better show.
peace

This certainly isn't the cleanest show as far as perfect renditions of every song played, but the energy the band displays will make you forget they miss a change or two. Decent "Dark Star", nothing to write home about but nice nonetheless. "St. Stephen" is played at the perfect pace, and "The Eleven" cooks like I haven't heard before. Jerry really goes after it on "Death Don't Have No Mercy," you rarely get vocals like this anywhere else. Nice "That's It For The Other One" with early Phil singing along during the chorus, probably my favorite version - like others have said, it hits hard. The jam that finishes the show brings to a close what must have been a fun night. Great sound quality on this one, especially for '68 - definitely my favorite single-disc show. Get it now.

I agree, it's definitely the best 68 show I've heard to date. The Jam after drums is enough to download this one. I usually stream shows and listen until one strikes me and then I'll download and burn. Let me tell you, I WILL be burning this one...5 stars.

I have been mining this seam pretty hard for some unbelievably incredible music and powerful vibes and this show takes the cake. Of their entire career I am not sure I have heard more powerful balls to the wall, eye poppin, jammin... not sure what was in the air that night but if there was one show to take to the afterlife this is it.... It is virtually impossible to not tap into the grand coulee dam worth of energy that is released in slow dissolving little needles with Billy punching and driving from behind....You can taste the sounds and hear the smells of this.... This is an awesome show and great quality @>@

This show is just one of those that never gets old on you, no matter how many times you listen to it. The 15-minute Dark Star is possibly the finest circulating pre-Live Dead version, and though it lacks the adventurism of later versions, it nevertheless establishes a trippy musical landscape that always characterizes the best of Dead jams, segueing into an early St. Stephen.
Of course, the That's It suite is a beast, but of special mention here is The Eleven, which is the best version ever, bar none. The band, particularly Jerry, is so tight and intense that they might as well have been driving over a cliff when they played it. Every nook and cranny of this Eleven is flawless, and it hasn't been matched before or since. The only other Eleven (this is IMO, of course) that comes close is the fragmentary 2/2/69 version.
In Potato, the singing is lackluster as usual, but as soon as Phil's bass solo and the 13/8 jam starts, you will forgive the vocal shortcomings so fast you won't even remember that they sang. The jamming around the bass solo is just so gorgeous. Then out of nowhere comes a drums>jam>feedback segment. The Jam has strong Caution and Alligator teases, but is never really based upon a single theme; the Dead have to come up with one one their own and that's what they do best; with the exception of the following night, this transition was never made again. Why? It was a spur of the moment thing, something that characterizes the best Dead jams.
Now as for sound quality, this is the best damn sounding live recording I have ever heard of a Dead show and I have been collecting tapes for 10 years. Hyperbole, you wonder? It's not. I have SBDs from the (ill-fated) year of '95 that don't sound as good as this one. Along with Greek Theatre 10/20/68, the sound on these two shows is so good that I have wondered if they were secretly recorded by their label for a possible live release. They would have made a classic live album, no doubt. This is one of the best-ever Dead shows, and the finest of '68 (apologies to 6/14). This gets five stars easy.

Wow this is my favorite all time Dark Star. However, this version is missing some pretty funny banter. On my old tape, the crowd is getting a bit wild and you can hear Jerry telling everone to "cool it" "We're gonna play here till we drop". This version rips despite the missing banter. Thanks

I read where on this night Jimi Hendrix was playing shows at nearby Winterland and asked Chet Helms or someone in the Dead camp if they could set up a jam so Hendrix could jam with the Dead. The previous night the Dead arranged for a ferry boat so they could jam all night. Hendrix never showed up, later explaining that he had met a woman, dropped acid and fucked all night. So on this night, Hendrix showed up at the Avalon looking for another chance to play with the Dead. Ungrateful of Jimi's previous nights mischevious no show, the Dead granted Jimi a stage jam but never motioned him to come on, essentially playing through their set without welcoming Jimi onstage to jam. I'm sure his presence backstage lit up the Dead in more ways then one.

This was one of my first tapes (back when that's all we had to trade), mislabeled as 10-31-68. The clarity is wonderful and the performance is a panic. I was taken by the clarity of the 'scratching', probably on a wood block (sorry I am not a musician) - it is trance-inducing during Jerry's lyrics. I don't remember anything close to that on my cassette - Gotta love the Digital Age!
Thank You for putting this up!!!

This is the one I have been waiting for. I got a snippet of this Cryptical->Other One->Cryptical years ago from a GDead Hour Broadcast, and all I knew was that it was Avalon '68. This is it! The most mind-bending, psychedelic music ever made. The audience makes stunned groans inbetween furious volleys of lightning. I'd bet God was paying attention. The Eleven smokes as well. Now this amazing music is here in crystal clean sound, revealing all of the blazing glory within.

This show is a must have for the "Other One" suite. It is RAW, fluid, HEAVY, TRIBAL- some of the most powerfully transformative music EVER played on planet Earth!!!!!
Seriously this one is so intensely focused that it is literally dizzying to listen to this. Listen to this one LOUD and involuntary headbanging will have your neck stiff in the morning.
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!